Friday, October 1, 2010

"Vellalar kula jathan" AYYAN AYYAPPAN of SABARIMALA

About ten generations back there lived a Vellala youth by name Kandan Ayyan alia Kandan Ayyappan in Erumely , Kottayam district of Kerala in India.

We do not know anything about Ayyan's parents except that his father was one Kandan and uncle was one Perissery Pillai. He became the army chief of Pandalam Royal family . Ayyan was instrumental in the defeat of Udayanan, who attacked Sabarimala and tried to demolish the ancient Sastha temple in the thick forest of present Pathanamthitta district.

The Royal family of Pandalam (King Pandian ) was migrated from Tamilnadu about 800 years back .Ayyan's family belonged to "Vellalar kulam", followed them.

Rajasekharan ,the Pandian King, reconstructed the destroyed Sastha temple at Sabarimala with the help of Ayyan , Vavar , a Muslim youth from Kanjirappally and Kadutha, a Nair youth from Muzhukkeer ,Chengannoor, Alapuzha district. During the clash Ayyappan was killed. Perissery Pillai, the uncle ofAyyan constrcted the old small Sastha temple (kotchanpalam) at Erumely opposite the Vavar Mosque constructed by Muslims in memory of Vavar. Temple made in memory of Kadutha is seen in Sabarimala. After the death of Ayyappan people thought that he as the avathar of Lord Sastha and began to worship him. Later Sastha and Ayyappan became synonyms. Some say that Ayyan was the son of a member of royal family but Nalankal Krishna Pillai in his book Mahashekthrangulkku Munpil says that Brahmins had never the name Ayyan or Ayyappan. In the age old Eelaversevam pattu ( songs of Elavar sevam, see ref.no. 3) it is clearly stated that Kandan Ayyan belonged to Vellalar kulamNear the Sree Ayyappa talkies in Erumely,Kottayam dist there is a Vellala house called Puthanveedu, In the same compound there is one 300 year old ,thatched,diapilated mud house, the house of Perissery Pillai.There we can, even today see the old sword used by Ayyappan. Even now Ayyappan/Ayyan Pillai is very common among Vellalas of Kottayam Alapuzha, Pathanamthitta, Idikki and Ernakulam districts.